Filipino named poet laureate of NYC's Queens

MANILA, Philippines - A young Filipino literary genius – author of two poetry collections and four chapbooks (short books of poetry), as well as a playwright, film director, college professor, editor, and publisher – beat out over 20 contenders to become the fifth and latest poet laureate of the New York City Borough of Queens, home to a large number of Filipino immigrants.

Paolo S. Javier, 35, of Sunnyside, was recently installed as poet laureate during a ceremony at Queens Borough Hall. The Queens poet laureate is a three-year, non-salaried appointment. Candidates must have lived in Queens for at least the past two years, had their work published, written poems about the borough and have a clearly articulated vision for serving.

Javier said he did not need a salary tied to the position, and laid out his ambitious plans for his new post, including creating greater visibility for poetry in the borough and helping foster literacy in children by teaching them poetry through new media.

He said he plans to create a roving poetry reading series at borough library branches, bring an international poetry festival to the Jamaica Library, and start a multimedia project that focuses on and includes the people of Queens.

He told the New York Daily News he plans to organize workshops that will teach writers not only how to craft poems, but how to combine them with audio and video components. He also plans to gather local booksellers, writers and performers for a series of workshops and marathon readings.

He said will draw from his experience as creator and editor of an online poetry journal, 2nd Avenue Poetry, as well as his stints in the film industry, theater and journalism.

“This is my way of giving back,” he said.

Describing himself as “a once-global nomad” who made Queens his permanent home because he has “no trouble finding the world in it,” Javier has traveled widely and lived in Asia, the Middle East, and North America before moving to Katonah, New York in 1986. He has been a resident of Sunnyside, Queens, for over a decade.

The newly named laureate, who called himself  “a diehard resident and fan of Queens,” said he has been inspired by the rhythms, languages, sights and sounds of the borough. New York City has four other boroughs – Manhattan, Brooklyn, The Bronx and Staten Island.

“I’ve always believed in Queens,” he said, noting that without living in the borough, “I would not be able to write the poetry that I’ve produced. I love Queens so much.”

“I hope to continue the rich and sophisticated history of innovative writers and artists emerging from and working in Queens,” he said.

The idea for a Queens poet laureate was proposed in 1996 by the Friends of the Queens College Library, a volunteer support group, and endorsed by then-Queens Borough president Claire Shulman.

“Our panel of judges appreciated [Javier’s] clear and creative vision for promoting a love of poetry throughout multi-ethnic Queens,” borough president Helen Marshall said.

Queens College president James Muyskens said Javier’s background shows he “understands diversity.”

“Paolo Javier is truly a 21st century poet who is recreating poetry as a dynamic literary art form that draws from theater, new media, sound art and international cinema,” Muyskens said. 

Javier said he realized his love of poetry in the ninth grade in the Philippines, after reading a poem by New Jersey poet William Carlos Williams.

“He showed me how to get inside a poem,” said Javier, who insists he was also influenced by more nontraditional interests, like comic books and the TV show “X-Files.”

He has published two poetry collections and four chapbooks, including his newest, the forthcoming “The Feeling Is Actual” (Creature Press). His “the time at the end of this writing” (Ahadada Books) received a Small Press Traffic Book of the Year Award in 2005.

“I do a lot of my writing on the train,” said Javier, who lives just blocks from the elevated 7 train. “I steal overheard conversations.”

Javier’s poems have appeared in various journals and anthologies, and he has given countless public readings, lectures, and poetry performances at distinguished venues in the US and Canada.     

Javier holds a bachelor’s degree in fine arts and creative writing from the University of British Columbia and a master’s in the same disciplines from Bard College. He has also served as a visiting professor at the University of Miami.